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BackgroundWith this celebrated version of Black Sabbath reunited for the second time, albeit under the name Heaven And Hell, what better time to revisit the landmark recording itself that gave Sabbath a new life when they seemed all but a lost cause. With Ozzy Osbourne in tow, Sabbath were treading water, their last studio venture 1978's 'Never Say Die' not the flop made out to be for decades, but hardly representative of their original style. Live they were exhausted and no match for Van Halen on the supporting tour, and when Osbourne quit for the second time in several years, this time there was no coming back. His replacement Dio could hardly have been a finer choice, with his Rainbow experiences right behind him he was the right man at the right time. Obviously inspired 'Heaven And Hell' was perhaps one of Sabbath's greatest works, if not the best. Losing Ozzy had given them new impetus and the music represented this, the trademark Sabbath doom metal upgraded to suit Dio's talents in ways Ozzy could never reach vocally.

The Songs'Neon Knights' was a clear indication of Sabbath's resurgence, with the riffing and speed as purposeful as anything from 1970-76, not quite as bottom ended as the Ozzy years, but Iommi providing the key with his unique riffs. 'Children Of The Sea' was allegedly written with Ozzy still in the fold and this is believable, vintage Sabbath doom, monstrously heavy. The tone of 'Lady Evil' is similar to the more hard rock direction adopted back on 1976's 'Technical Ecstacy', only more precise and in keeping with Dio's Rainbow work also. The title track stands as one of the all time metal greats, a brutal epic which builds into a raging crescendo, and a clear indication of Dio's solo career a few years down the road. This is the sound of Sabbath past and present however, and twenty six years has not dated it one notch. 'Die Young' is similar in build, eerie opening building into faster sections with atmospherics unmatched when the swirling keyboards mesh with Butler's thudding bass and Iommi's tortured soloing. Basically no track is wasted and the thrilling ending melody of 'Lonely Is The Word' amidst almost blues licks from Iommi caps off one of heavy metal's landmark albums.

In SummaryShortly after the albums release Ward quit the band due to relentless touring and was replaced by Vinnie Appice. The album sold in mammoth proportions and revitalised Sabbath as a major draw. It's hard to believe they were still bigger than Ozzy as a solo artist at one point, something which sadly would not last. 1981's 'Mob Rules' was almost the equal of 'Heaven And Hell', and hopefully future recordings with Dio and Sabbath reveal something as legendary, 1992's Dehumanizer' a fine recording in its own right. Their place in history is sealed regardless, 'Heaven And Hell' forever in place as the definition of heavy metal.

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Coming right out of the gate with the galloping 'Neon Knights', you knew this was going to be a stellar album and a confirmation that they were back. It also gave a preview of what Dio was destined to do in his successful solo career.